


Falling

by BunniesofDoom



Series: Darkest Before the Dawn [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Ruby Rose (RWBY) Needs a Hug, Self-Indulgent, Someone get these kids some therapy, Spoilers: Volume 8 (RWBY), Volume 8 (RWBY), healthy communication is my kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: This whole situation feels like a nightmare.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Series: Darkest Before the Dawn [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162325
Comments: 1
Kudos: 77





	Falling

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally intended to be longer and angstier, but I am intensely depressed over the next episode being delayed a week so I wrote some sisterly fluff to cheer myself up. Enjoy!

Ruby feels like she's falling.

This whole situation feels like a nightmare. Ever since the Hound had begun to crumble away to reveal her mother's face buried inside, it had felt like the floor had dropped out from under her, revealing an endless pit. Her tumble down the stairs had barely registered in the wake of her horrified realization. Even now, lying in Weiss' bed, the world around her feels unsteady. Like the floor beneath her isn't real and she's in the middle of a free-fall, with no idea of what will happen when she finally hits the ground.

Just thinking about it makes Ruby feel queasy. She squeezes her eyes shut when the room spins around her, trying to block everything out. Or maybe she feels sick because of she sheer horror of what had been done to her mother. Is that what Salem wants to do to her? It's too terrifying to even think about.

And then it hits her—again—she killed her mother. After years of missing her and wondering about her fate, Ruby had found her—after she'd killed her. Even if she hadn't meant to, hadn't known, it doesn't change what happened. It doesn't change what she's done. The guilt is unbearable.

And what is she going to tell Yang? If her sister didn't hate her before, she definitely will now, once Ruby tells her what she's done. As much as the idea of talking about what she's done horrifies her, Yang deserves to know, to hear it from Ruby. She doesn't get the luxury of hiding the truth, no matter how painful.

If she's being honest, all she wants to do is sleep, bury herself deep down until everything goes away. But there isn't time for that. Salem's forces have descended upon Atlas, and Weiss and Blake are depending on her. And then there's the matter of what's happening to Penny. Something is horribly wrong with her, Ruby can feel it, and whatever it is, they need to fix it as soon as possible.

So, instead of burying herself under the blankets, she takes a deep breath, flings back the covers, and sits up, burying her turbulent emotions until she's left with a blank numbness. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and bites her lip to hide the wince as her ribs twinge in protest. Her aura is still running low, but she's at least got enough of it now to heal up a bit. Good. This is no time to be laying around.

And then she hears her sister's voice, and she's forced to resist the urge to hide.

The door to Weiss' room swings open, and in walks Blake, followed by Jaune, Oscar, Ren, Emerald (huh?), and—Yang. Weiss jolts awake from where she's dozed off in her seat at Nora's bedside, her blue eyes going wide with surprise.

"As you can see, they're up here," Blake says, her eyes sweeping casually over Ruby. If she's surprised to see that she's awake, she doesn't mention it.

Ren immediately rushes to Nora's bedside, peppering Weiss with questions about what happened to her, while, Yang apparently only has eyes for Ruby. "Ruby," her sister begins, and Ruby flinches back, expecting harsh words, or perhaps a blow. They hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms, after all. But her sister's voice is gentle as she asks, "Ruby, what happened to you?"

The tone of Yang's voice, combined with the gentle warmth of the hand she places on Ruby's arm, is more than enough to break through Ruby's defenses. She covers her face, trying to turn away as she bursts into tears.

But Yang's grip remains firm. "Ruby! Look, I'm sorry for what I said before, please don't cry!" Yang sounds panicked as she turns to her partner. "Blake, what happened to my sister?" Ruby feels a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders, tugging her until she's resting against a broad chest.

"Ruby," Blake says quietly, resting a hand on her good shoulder. "I think it would be best if I tell Yang what happened." Ruby tries her best to shake her head, to tell Blake no—this is her fault, her responsibility, she can tell Yang in a minute, once she pulls herself together—but it's impossible for her to communicate that to Blake when her entire body is shuddering, wracked by sobs.

She can barely make out what Blake is saying around the ringing in her ears—the force of her crying is starting to make her lightheaded—but she can feel it when Yang tenses next to her, her back going stiff. Ruby braces herself for Yang to get angry, to shove her away, but the moment never comes.

Instead, her sister's arms tighten around her, and if anything, Yang pulls her closer. "Oh, Ruby," her sister murmurs. "I'm so sorry."

It's such an unexpected response that it startles Ruby enough to make her stop crying. "But—" she protests hoarsely, pausing to clear her throat. "I'm the one that—that did that to mom. Yang, I'm so sorry—"

"You've got nothing to apologize for," Yang says firmly. "Salem's the one that did this, that turned mom into a monster. As far as I'm concerned, all the blame is on her."

The tightness in Ruby's chest eases a bit. It doesn't go away entirely, but it makes it a little easier to breathe. Yang's words don't fix everything, don't erase all of the horror of what happened, but they do make it a little easier to bear. Maybe now, she can begin to move forward.

The ground under her feet feels steady once again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it.
> 
> Also I have updated the ending of (Un)happy Reunion if anyone wants to check that out.
> 
> Just a reminder that I do take requests for fics, so if there's an idea that you'd like to see me write, feel free to message me and if I like it, I might end up writing something for it. Also, if you like one of my ideas and want to write your own fic for it, feel free! I'm not possessive with my ideas, and most of my writing is self-indulgent anyway, so all that I ask is that you let me know so I can read it.


End file.
